Comments on: How to Drive Safely in Rain

on 5/19/2007 I was just going to comment myself about using cruise control in the rain AND snow. You runa very real risk of hydroplaning. I happened to my wife several years ago and she was only doing 40kph in an 80kph zone, in a snowstorm. Our van slid off the highway and into the ditch and caused over $8000.00 in repairs. So be careful.

on 5/19/2007 I was just going to comment myself about using cruise control in the rain AND snow. You runa very real risk of hydroplaning. I happened to my wife several years ago and she was only doing 40kph in an 80kph zone, in a snowstorm. Our van slid off the highway and into the ditch and caused over $8000.00 in repairs. So be careful.

on 2/1/2006 In any driving situation, just keep space in front. If you can, don't drive in parallel with other cars, that way if you need to swerve, you can.

on 1/24/2006 Many drivers are unaware that using your car's cruise control is not safe in rainy conditions. Unless your vehicle is equipped with electronic traction control, using cruise control in the rain can actually cause you to have an accident. This is because the computer does not react properly to changing traction conditions, and when your car loses traction, you will often not have time to disengage the cruise control manually (since hitting the brakes is a bad idea as well).

on 1/23/2006 Drive with your headlights on at all times. This is especially true in bad weather.
Rule: wipers on - headlights on.
A car in much more visible to other drivers with the headlights on. Don't worry about burning out your headlights, they are much cheaper than an accident. Also note that parking lights are for parking, not for bad weather driving. Parking lights have less than 5% of the visibility of headlights.

on 12/19/2005 The most hazardous situation in rain-driving is the loss of traction and control over the car. These situations mostly peep-up due to braking hard
in a car without ABS.
Also, these situations rise due to constant pressing and releasing the brake pedal in a car equipped with ABS. So, while driving in rain in a car without ABS, please \\do not brake hard, and while driving a car with ABS keep a constant and appropriate pressure on brakes and leave the rest of your safety to ABS.
This tip is also applicable for ABS equipped cars when running in dry surfaces. Due to constant pressing and releasing the brake the ABS will not function properly.

on 11/22/2005 If during the course of your driving in a heavy rain you notice you don't feel the contact between the road and your tires,do NOT brake,or jerk the steering wheel. The safest way to regain control is to take your foot off of the accelerator,and keep your steering wheel as stable as possible,in a very short period of time you will feel the tires grip the road again,and keeping your speed down should prevent a reoccurance.

on 11/22/2005 Keep in mind that water accumulates in lower areas. So if the road is going downhill there will probably be a large puddle before you go back uphill.

Slow is good policy and do not brake when you hit a large puddle. And you should avoid the highway during these conditions if possible and take local roads instead. Keep in mind that other drivers may not know how to drive in rain.

on 11/22/2005 Please, don't hit your brakes while going through puddles - you will certainly lose control!

on 11/22/2005 The stopping distance of your car is impaired in the rain, no matter how good your tires or brakes are. In dry weather, a 2 second following distance should be practiced. This can be ascertained by watching the car in front of you pass something on the road (like a shadow) and counting out "one thousand and one, one thousand and two" in your head. In the rain, this should be doubled to four seconds, adding an extra 2 seconds for every 1.5 meters (over 6 meters) of your car's length. Also, take into account whether the person behind you is tailgating. If they are, allow another two seconds for them to react to your braking. Although it may seem that you're getting there slower, you will find that doing this only makes the trip one or two minutes slower than it would be if you were to rush and run the risk of crashing.

on 11/22/2005 Driving through flooded underpasses or low spots is not recommended (if you can't SEE the road under the water, it may no longer be there!). If you must go through, do it very slowly. If you have a big truck, going through at even moderate speeds can and will flood out the engines of smaller vehicles "sharing" the puddle with you. If the shoulder is visible, drive as high up on it as you can. "Ride" your brakes lightly for a hundred feet (about the length of two city house-lots) or so after leaving the water to ensure that the brakes are workable.

on 11/22/2005 A CRUCIAL reminder: the beginning of a rainfall makes the road SLIPPERIER than any other time! The first drops of rain mix with road grease, creating an oil-water slurry that is a superb lubricant. Once all the oil has been washed off the road by further rain, you actually gain traction.

So please, if it starts to rain (even sprinkle), slow down immediately, and only speed up if it continues to rain for many minutes.

on 11/22/2005 Before driving in the rain, use products that cause rain water to bead on your windshield (and side mirrors and windows). Use "Rain-X" on the outside, and "Fog-X" on the inside to prevent fogging of the windows. It really helps!!

on 11/22/2005 Most roads are sloped to drain runoff towards the edges. Water can accumulate on the outside edges of the road, making them slicker than the rest of the road. Near the center of the road is the highest and driest. Stay there for optimal traction.

on 11/22/2005 Re. fog lights: please turn them off when approching another car. It's better when both drivers can see the road. Pet peeve. (; Also check them once in a while to make sure they are aimed correctly.